Blogs

Our blogs provide fresh, impassioned and authoritative commentary and insight about the variety of civil-liberties issues that the ACLU of Michigan takes up each day in our courts, governments and communities.

Get Involved

With the help of dedicated volunteers and community activists, the ACLU of Michigan works to raise awareness about the importance of preserving the individual rights and liberties that are guaranteed to all people in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States.

Get Help

The ACLU of Michigan is one of more than 50 affiliates in the United States. As such, we encourage you to know as much as possible about your civil liberties. Further, if you feel those liberties have been violated, we suggest you submit a complaint. We only accept complaints that occur within the State of Michigan. If your complaint arose in a state other than Michigan, you must contact the ACLU office in that state.

About Us

Since our founding in 1920, the American Civil Liberties Union has led the fight to conserve our most precious liberties. Through the passion of our supporters, we have grown from a roomful of civil liberties activists to an organization of more than 500,000 active members and supporters with 54 state affiliate offices as well as a legislative office in Washington, DC.

DETROIT—A federal judge today refused to dismiss an ACLU lawsuit challenging a state policy that makes it nearly impossible for transgender Michiganders to change gender markers on their driver's licenses and state IDs.

“We are very pleased that our case will move forward,” said Jay Kaplan, staff attorney for the ACLU of Michigan’s LGBT Project. “The judge made it clear that, when transgender people are unable to obtain accurate Michigan identity documents, they are forced to share highly intimate and personal medical information that can lead to discrimination, harassment, violence, and even death.”

"Plaintiffs have offered a plethora of evidence which, accepted as true, suggests that the Policy poses a real threat to their 'personal security and bodily integrity,'" wrote Edmunds.

Under Michigan's current ID policy, which Johnson implemented in 2011, the state refuses to change the gender on state-issued ID unless the person produces an amended birth certificate showing the correct gender. The policy has created significant problems for Michigan's transgender community.

In order to receive an amended birth certificate in Michigan, a person is required by state law to undergo gender-confirmation surgery—an invasive medical procedure that not all transgender people need, want or can afford to pay for.

“By permitting us to have our day in court, the judge recognizes that being transgender and living in accordance with your gender identity is a serious, life-altering decision and that Michigan’s harmful and unworkable ID policy needs to be critically examined,” said Tina Seitz, one of six transgender plaintiffs in the case including transgender woman Emani Love, transgender man Codie Stone, and three other unnamed plaintiffs.

The plaintiffs are represented by Kaplan; John Knight from the ACLU’s LGBT Project; Dan Korobkin and Michael J. Steinberg, also from the ACLU of Michigan; and Steven Gilford, Michael Derksen and Jacki Anderson from the Chicago office of Proskauer Rose LLP.

By permitting us to have our day in court, the judge recognizes that being transgender and living in accordance with your gender identity is a serious, life-altering decision and that Michigan’s harmful and unworkable ID policy needs to be critically examined.